Our beloved matriarch, Alice Lorene Belton Newman, entered heaven on Dec. 28, 2025 at the age of 72, certainly immediately bartering for the best seat to watch over ”her littles.” We are joyful at the thought of her dancing with Jesus while our hearts here on Earth hold on to one another to heal.
She was born on July 16, 1953 in Toppenish, Wash. to Loren and Dorothy Zyph Belton, the fourth of their crazy band of eight children. She was given her middle name in honor of her father, but he dubbed her his Alley Oop from the get-go. She grew up in the Yakima Valley as a part of the fifth largest family in U.S. history. True story, but you can read all about that on ancestry.com if you don’t believe me. Her cousins span to the literal hundreds, but they were, are, and will forever be a close-knit bunch. The closest. Family is everything. Alice knew that, lived it and instilled it in her children.
As a teenager, Alice moved from Granger to Zillah and immediately caught the eye of a boy that she referred to as a “red-headed, freckle-faced pig farmer” that she had no interest in dating, despite his obvious crush on sweet Alice. Gay’s charms were aplenty, though, and soon she never laid eyes on another boy. Gay Dennis Newman would propose on the eve of their high school graduation, and they were married on Dec. 20, 1971.
In August 1972, Gay was offered a summer position on a ranch out of state, and he and Alice, two brave teenagers with their infant daughter Kristina Kaye in tow, “temporarily” relocated to Eastern Oregon. In the blink of an eye, Hermiston became their home and their community and they never left. They would go on to add daughter Shauna Lea in the summer of 1974 and son, Dennis Jon in the early fall of 1977 to their family unit.
Alice flourished in her new life as farm wife, mother, and member of the Hermiston community. She would complete beauty school during Kristina’s infancy and work as a beautician for many years. She also owned and operated 7-Eleven in Hermiston, as well as two stores in Pasco, Wash. for many years until her first battle with cancer in 2010 forced her into early retirement. She had other jobs throughout her life, but her careers were never really what fueled her fire.
Alice put everything, her time, her money, her passion, her energy, and her love into the lives of her children and all the kids in her community. She was a Girl Scout troop leader, a Dance Unlimited mom and costume maker, an FFA chaperone and booster, a lifelong Hermiston sports enthusiast, and avid supporter of high school rodeo during Dennis’ competitive years. She was there with her daughters in all aspects of their band years, particularly marching band. She was the penultimate band mom, organizing, chaperoning, making uniforms, and handling things for many years beyond the graduation of her kids through the graduations of her grandkids. She started with Shauna in the HHS Color Guard, sewing their costumes and hand-making flags, and continued until she had also coached her granddaughters years down the road.
After family, 4-H was Alice’s number two passion. Gay and Alice formed a 4-H club nearly 50 years ago to introduce Kristina to Gay’s passion of showing swine, and that club is still going strong to this day. Alice then started a home economics 4-H club in the early 1980s for Kristina and Shauna that is still flourishing half a century later. Hundreds of kids in this community have learned what Alice considered essential life skills of sewing, cooking, baking, canning, preserving, quilting, gardening, public speaking, and an endless list of talents that her family will continue to teach in her honor. She was fair court chaperone for over a decade, fair board spouse for more than 20 years, superintendent of the Umatilla County Fair in multiple departments and a judge in other counties for 4-H contests. She could not and would not say no to any child in need.
She embodied community service and had a heart that drove her to serve others. So many families and children in the Hermiston community were benefactors of Alice’s anonymous generosity. She was twice grand marshal of the Umatilla County Fair with Gay, and she was also recognized with the Merit of Honor at the Hermiston Distinguished Citizen of the Year ceremony in 2018.
Alice was stubborn and a true fighter, in the best way. She beat cancer three times, she fought for her family, she gave of herself endlessly, and she never asked for anything in return. Her only need in a very modest life was the love of her family – and that she had, then, now and always.
Alice is survived by her husband of 54 years, Gay; her seven siblings and their spouses; her children, Kristina Knudsen, Shauna Newman and Dennis Newman and their spouses; 20 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a community of many generations that call her Mom or Grandma Alice with no genetic connection.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at 1 p.m. at EOTEC, Hermiston.
In lieu of flowers, Alice would want you to teach a child to bake cupcakes, have the entire family over for dinner (every Sunday), or dance around in a blowup dinosaur costume to hear the giggles of your grandbabies. Alice felt that life was to be enjoyed, not just endured. She would defend her silly moments by telling us that she was “making memories.” We honor her by continuing to make memories and loving each other endlessly and unconditionally.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
